PSG president faces criminal investigation

12 Octobre 2017

The latest proceeding in a broader Swiss investigation of Federation Internationale de Football Association is against "Jerome Valcke, the chief executive officer of the BeIN Media Group LLC Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and a businessman in the sports rights sector", federal prosecutors said.

Swiss federal prosecutors announced on Thursday they are investigating bribes offered to former Federation Internationale de Football Association secretary general Jerome Valcke to award the broadcast rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cup to Qatari-owned BeIN Media Group, where Nasser Al-Khelaifi is the chief executive.

Properties in France, Greece, Italy and Spain were searched in an attempt to locate documents relating to the allegations, while Valcke himself was questioned over his involvement in the alleged crimes on Thursday morning.

Swiss prosecutors said the action was carried out with Eurojust, a European Union agency for co-operation in criminal matters.

The criminal proceeding was opened on March 20, but only announced on Thursday, the Swiss federal office said.

The investigation was opened in March and is separate from a probe Switzerland launched against Valcke in March of 2016 over alleged criminal mismanagement during his tenure as deputy to FIFA's disgraced former president Sepp Blatter. Recent big money transfers of Neymar, from Barcelona, and teenage star Kylian Mbappe from Monaco, have left other prominent clubs and officials in Europe frustrated at the new spending power of the French team.